Marsh Hall and Botanical Garden, New Haven

Tucked into the Yale University campus in New Haven, Marsh Hall and the Marsh Botanical Garden form a historic and botanical gem with deep academic roots and leafy character. Originally the estate of Othniel Charles Marsh, a pioneering paleontologist and Yale alumnus (Class of 1860), the site was established as a botanical garden in 1899 when Marsh bequeathed his home and plant collections to the university.

Marsh Hall, also known as the Othniel C. Marsh House, was completed in 1878 and designed by architect J. Cleaveland Cady. Its red sandstone, Jacobean Revival features, and decorative turrets made it one of the grandest private residences in the city at the time. Declared a National Historic Landmark in 1965, the house now serves as part of Yale’s School of the Environment and is home to The Forest School at YSE. The building sits on Prospect Hill, overlooking the lush grounds Marsh once called home.

Surrounding the house is the Marsh Botanical Garden, which stretches across eight acres and includes six greenhouses filled with an impressive variety of cacti, insectivorous plants, and orchids. Though the original landscape design by Beatrix Farrand—Yale’s former landscape architect during the 1920s–30s—survives only in fragments, restoration work is ongoing. Today, the garden offers a tranquil public green space and a robust hub for research and instruction.

The garden changes with the seasons throughout the year: wildflowers and naturalistic beds bloom in summer, bulb displays and flowering trees brighten the spring, and many woody plants offer brilliant fall colors through leaves and fruits. The collection includes rare and endangered plants from around the world, making it a delight for everyone—from casual visitors and school groups to faculty, researchers, and plant enthusiasts.

Open to the public 24/7, the Marsh Botanical Garden continues to serve as a living laboratory, a quiet retreat, and a place where New Haven's academic and natural heritage come together under the canopy of history and science.